As COVID-19 cases rise in Kerala, Tamil Nadu govt take steps to tackle fresh outbreak

A case of COVID-19 sub-variant JN. 1 has been detected in Kerala as part of an ongoing routine surveillance activity of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).

COVID-19 cases rise in Kerala: Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in neighboring Kerala and in Singapore, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Saturday said that the government has taken all precautions to tackle a fresh outbreak, if any.

He said that health department officials have been instructed to implement measures to control the virus's spread and advised them to conduct RT-PCR tests if there is an increase in fever cases in specific areas. These directives are issued in response to the rising infection rates in neighboring Kerala and Singapore.

'Closely monitoring situation'

As of December 15, Tamil Nadu has 36 active COVID-19 cases with a discharge rate of 98.94 per cent. Among Indian states, Kerala has the highest number of infections with 1,144 cases and a discharge rate of 98.94 per cent, according to the available COVID-19 data on the Central government's website.

In response to inquiries about the rising trend in the neighbouring state, the Minister informed reporters that health officials in Tamil Nadu were in touch with their counterparts in Kerala. They are closely monitoring the situation and staying abreast of the developments. "When I contacted the National University of Singapore, I was told that this infection was mild and that it lasted for three or four days. Same is the case with Kerala," Subramanian said.

Covid subvariant JN.1 case reported in Kerala

A case of JN.1 subvariant of COVID-19 has been detected in Kerala, as part of the ongoing routine surveillance activity by INSACOG.  The case was reported on December 8 when a 79-year-old woman tested positive in an RT-PCR test done on November 18. She showed mild symptoms of influenza-like illnesses and had recoverd.

Earlier, an Indian traveller was also detected with JN.1 sub-variant in Singapore. The person was a native of Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchirapalli district and had travelled to Singapore on October 25.

COVID-19 surge in Kerala

There has been an increasing trend of COVID-19 cases in Kerala since the last few weeks. This has been attributed to an increase in a number of samples from ILI cases being referred for testing. A majority of these cases are clinically mild and recovering on their own at their homes without any treatment.

As part of a regular exercise of the Union Health Ministry, a mock drill in all health facilities in the States is currently underway to assess their public health and hospital preparedness measures. This activity, which started from 13th December, is being carried out under the overall supervision of the district collectors and is likely to be completed by December 18.

Union Ministry of Health is in regular touch with the State Department of Health, Kerala and monitoring various points of entry.

Also Read: Covid subvariant JN.1 case detected in Kerala, authorities keep a vigil

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